Chabad of Delaware County marks Rosh Hashanah with ‘Shofar in the Park’ at two local sites
CONCORD » With the High Holidays approaching and COVID-19 creating difficulties for many in joining a traditional synagogue service, Delco Chabad Center’s will hold outdoor Rosh Hashanah observances - called “Shofar in the Park” on both sides of the county - on Sunday, Sept.
20. The observances will be held at Concord Township Park in Glen Mills as well as at the Haverford Reserve Freedom Park, both at 4 p.m., and both are open and free to all Jewish Delco residents, no membership required.
The event will include prayers for the wellbeing of all humanity — a key theme of Rosh Hashanah — and will also be centered around hearing the sound of the Shofar, the central observance of the holiday. It will be one of thousands listed on Chabad. org/HighHolidayServices, the world’s largest directory of outdoor High Holiday services.
“The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, considered the most influential rabbi in modern history, insisted that the observance of hearing the Shofar — the key observance of Rosh Hashanah—be made accessible to all Jews even those not attending synagogue,” Rabbi Tzvi Altein explained. “Chabad of Delaware County has always prioritized making Judaism available to all. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this has taken on a whole new meaning, but our mission to serve everyone remains the same.”
While Rosh Hashanah services are generally held in a synagogue, Chabad of Delaware County has in past years met the needs of those who couldn’t make it with a short outdoor service focused on the shofar observance. Chabad of Delaware County also creates accessibility by creating a welcoming and nonjudgmental atmosphere and affordability, with no expectation of membership or affiliation. This year, Chabad has gone a step further to ensure that the health concerns Delco faces are not an impediment to holiday observance.
“Our goal is to lower the barriers of entry, and to encourage each and every Jewish person to actively participate in the observances of Rosh Hashanah,” said Rabbi Yudi Gerber of Glen Mills, who just months ago together with his wife Chana founded Chabad of Aston servicing the Jewish Community in the southwestern part of the County. “This year, that means bringing a Rosh Hashanah service to a location where people can safely participate and making it free of charge as many in our community are hurting financially now.”
While not a substitute for the complete Rosh Hashanah prayer service, which can and should be done at home if one is not able to join a congregation, the service will enable everyone to hear the shofar, and bring a heightened sense of community during this difficult time.
For those not able to leave their home, Chabad of Delaware County is offering Rosh Hashanah-at-Home kits, which will bring many of the resources Delco’s Jews usually enjoy at synagogue into their homes. The kits will include a holiday guide, prayers from the High Holiday machzor prayerbook, candles, and traditional Rosh Hashanah treats including apples, honey and challah bread. Reach out to info@ jewishdelco.org for more info. Chabad will also be hosting more traditional High Holiday Services at the Haverford Reserve CREC on both Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur. For details visit Jewishdelco.org/ HighHolidays.
In addition, Chabad of Aston will be holding an outdoor Yom Kippur Service at the Concord Township park on Sunday Sept. 27 at 6:30 p.m. For more information contact Chabad of Delaware County Rabbi Tzvi Altein, 610-353-3835 or email rabbi@jewishdelco.org or visit Jewishdelco.org or contact Chabad of Aston Rabbi Yudi Gerber 484-620-4162 or email rabbiyudigerber@ gmail.com or visit ChabadSWdelco.com. Chabad of Delaware County offers Jewish education, outreach and social-service programming for families and individuals of all ages, backgrounds and affiliations. For more information visit www.Jewishdelco.com.
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, begins this year at sundown on Sept. 18 and continues through nightfall on Sept. 20. Literally meaning “head of the year,” the two-day holiday commemorates the creation of the world and marks the beginning of the Days of Awe, a 10-day period of introspection and repentance that culminates in the Yom Kippur holiday. For more information about Rosh Hashanah, visit www.Jewishdelcom/HighHolidays.
Media Fellowship House holds school supply drive
Media Fellowship House, Women in Harmony, and Basic Kindness are partnering to collect school supplies for children living in three Delaware County shelters. Donations may be left on the porch at Media Fellowship House, 302 S. Jackson St., Media.
Donations will be distributed to children in need on Monday, Sept. 14. Suggested donations include pencils, erasers, notebooks, folders, book bags, glue, tape, scissors, lined paper, graph paper, construction paper, new and gently used books, art supplies.
Donors can contact heather@mediafellowshiphouse.org for more information. For more information on Media Fellowship House, visit mediafellowshiphouse.org or call 610-565-0434.
Media Man named IFMA’s international finalist
Corey Jackson of Media, vice president of operations at Williamson College of the Trades, is a finalist in the International Facility Management Association’s (IFMA) Forty Under 40 competition. IFMA, an association for facility management professionals, is holding the competition to celebrate its 40th anniversary. It will recognize the talents, achievements, and commitment to the industry of 40 facility professionals under the age of 40. The 40 facility managers, chosen globally, will be announced in the NovemberDecember
issue of IFMA’s publication.
Jackson came to Williamson in 2017 as the facilities manager and one year later was named vice president of plans and operations. He oversees all facilities maintenance and is responsible for Williamson’s 50+ buildings, 224 acres, and $20 million of construction projects, capital projects, dining operations, and security operations.
He has been an IFMA member for three years and is working toward IFMA’s certified facility manager designation (CFM), their highest credential.
After studying power plant technology at Williamson and graduating in 2003, Jackson worked as a field service technician at Powerhouse Boiler. From 2004-13, he worked at his father’s company, R. Jackson Construction, in Brookhaven, doing light commercial and residential construction, before going to Omega Design Corp., in Exton, as a field service technician traveling all over the world. Next, he was a packaging mechanic at AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical Co. in Newark, Del.
He earned a bachelor of science degree in organizational studies at Neumann University and is working on a master’s degree in construction management at Arizona State University.
He and his wife, Sue, have a son, Nathan, 12, and daughter, Evelyn, 2. He is a deacon at Faith Community Church in Brookhaven.
Readers can email community news and photos to Peg DeGrassa at pdegrassa@21stcenturymedia.com.